Ensemble Kla_Vier: Four Men, Four Pianos (Ensemble Kla_Vier)

OK, two pianos, eight hands, but total impact in this medieval cathedral: Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony arranged for eight hands was quite something to hear! The popular interpretation of the famous theme of this symphony is Fate knocking at Beethoven’s door, prophesying his impending deafness, so the percussiveness of the pianos was extraordinarily apt. These South Korean players were flamboyant and unrestrained, jumping in their seats and ending dramatic phrases with their hands flourished above their heads. The programme included ‘Seoul Arirang’, composed by one of the quartet members, Ki-Su Bang, and it was highly expressive. One of the encores (the packed audience requested two) was Rimsky-Korsakov’s ‘Flight of the Bumble Bee’ – even stranger than usual on two pianos!